turn on
Britishverb
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(tr, adverb) to cause (something) to operate by turning a knob, etc
to turn on the light
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(intr, preposition) to depend or hinge on
the success of the party turns on you
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(preposition) to change or cause to change one's attitude so as to become hostile or to retaliate
the dog turned on the children
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informal (tr, adverb) to produce (charm, tears, etc) suddenly or automatically
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informal to interest (someone) in something
how to turn kids on to drama
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slang (tr, adverb) to arouse emotionally or sexually
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slang (intr, adverb) to take or become intoxicated by drugs
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slang (tr, adverb) to introduce (someone) to drugs
noun
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Cause to begin the operation, flow, or activity of, as in Turn on the lights, please , or Don't turn on the sprinkler yet . [First half of 1800s]
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Begin to display, employ, or exude, as in He turned on the charm . [Late 1800s]
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Also, . Take or cause to take a mind-altering drug, as in The boys were excited about turning on , or They tried to get her high , or I told them I wouldn't get on tonight . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]
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Be or cause to become excited or interested, as in His mother was the first to turn him on to classical music . [c. 1900]
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Be or become sexually aroused, as in He blushed when she asked him what turned him on . [Second half of 1900s]
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Also, turn upon . Depend on, relate to, as in The entire plot turns on mistaken identity . This usage, first recorded in 1661, uses turn in the sense of “revolve on an axis or hinge.”
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Also, turn upon . Attack, become hostile toward, as in Although normally friendly, the dog suddenly turned on everyone who came to the door . Also see turn against .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That means the decision will turn on developments before the Sept. 15-16 meeting, especially the August consumer-price index on Sept. 11.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
They increase the production of new proteins and turn on biological pathways associated with growth and axon regeneration.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
Munoz tried to turn on the cameras at Newhall Refinery but they weren’t working.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
His chairmanship could turn on articulating a strategy for a central bank operating in a world of deglobalization, reduced immigration and recurring conflict—one that looks little like the 1990s he holds up as a model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
If both my siblings are quiet, Dad will turn on a French podcast.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
